Driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs is the leading cause of death on Washington roadways, accountable for nearly half of the 439 fatalities on our roads during 2012.
Between Aug. 16 and Sept. 2, extra officers will be looking for drivers under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs during the annual “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.
Deputy Sheriff Rob Corn with the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office has undergone additional training as a drug recognition expert (DRE).
Corn is the regional coordinator for the DRE Program in Kitsap, Mason, Jefferson, Clallam, Grays Harbor, Pacific and Wahkiakum counties. He has arrested more than 1,000 drunk drivers and completed DRE evaluations on more than 100 drug impaired drivers.
In teaching DUI enforcement classes, such as Standardized Field Sobriety Testing and Drug Recognition Expert school, Corn helps officers improve their abilities to make good arrest decisions in DUI cases.
“I feel that making DUI arrests is important because it is a unique crime that usually is a misdemeanor, but can easily become a felony depending on the circumstances,” Corn said “I’d rather take the time to get an impaired driver off the road than have to see a family endure the loss of a loved one due to a DUI collision.”
The goal of these extra patrols is to keep motorists and their families safe during this vacation travel time.
Anyone who sees someone driving under the influence should call 911.
Last year in Kitsap County, during the same time period, 71 people were arrested for DUI. For all of 2012, in Kitsap County, 1,285 people were charged with DUI.
The Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, Port Orchard, Poulsbo and Suquamish police departments, the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Patrol will participate in the two-week campaign organized by the Kitsap County Target Zero Task Force.
The extra patrols are part of Target Zero — striving to end traffic deaths and serious injuries in Washington by 2030.
For more information, visit www.targetzero.com. Additional information on the Washington Traffic Safety Commission can be found on the website at www.wtsc.wa.gov.
